Green Party of Alberta Contests Forthcoming By-Elections

CALGARY – Voters in two provincial constituencies that will be holding by-elections will have Green Party of Alberta candidates to choose from. Brian Deheer will represent the Green Party in the Fort McMurray – Conklin riding while Marco Reid will carry the Green Party banner in the Innisfail – Sylvan Lake constituency.

The contest in Fort McMurray – Conklin is in the offing because former United Conservative Party MLA, Brian Jean, resigned his seat.

Deheer, a musician and music teacher, is a resident of Lac La Biche and a former Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Alberta. His environmental work began 25 years ago when he was a founding member of Northern CARE, a community-based recycling advocacy group and when he worked on a conservation project for the Alberta Wilderness Association in Fort McMurray. He has continued his advocacy to this day.

Deheer has also twice been a federal candidate with the Green Party of Canada and once represented the Green Party of Alberta. “I believe in the Green Party’s plan to transition to a smarter, green economy,” says Deheer. “We should be protecting peoples’ health, livelihoods and communities. Oil and gas has brought great prosperity but it has come with some costs as well. We don’t have to put all of our eggs in one basket.”

The Innisfail – Sylvan Lake by-election will occur because of the resignation of former United Conservative Party MLA Don MacIntyre, who faced sexual assault and sexual interference charges.

Marco Reid,the current President of the Green Party of Alberta, is enrolled at the University of Calgary and is working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He is one of fourteen students pioneering the newly offered Certificate of Sustainability Studies at the University of Calgary, the first of its kind offered in Canadian Universities.

“My key interest in sustainability is to bring harmony to nature and society. By bringing sustainability practices into daily living at home, in leisure or in the workplace, we can mitigate the effects of Climate Change,” says Reid. “Electing Greens in the Alberta legislature is vital to achieving these goals.”

There are now seven Green Party MLA’s in Canada after the recent election of Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner in the riding of Guelph. The Green Party of Alberta will be holding a leadership convention on September 22, 2018.